1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed embodiments relates to the system, method and terminal according to independent claims.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
At present, the GSM mobile network (Global System for Mobile Communications) is one of the most popular and most extensive wireless networks. In addition to the conventional speech connection the network provides its users with other data services. The utilization of a signalling channel enables the transmission of text messages between subscribers, and the GSM data service provides for a 9.6 kbit/s connection via a conventional circuit-switched connection, or a considerably faster connection via a high speed circuit-switched connection HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data) developed for the GSM mobile network. In current data transmission, the same basic method as in the speech transmission is used, i.e. the connection is provided with one TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) time slot, by means of which a 9.6 kbitis circuit-switched service is attained, or with several time slots if a high speed circuit switched connection is used.
The GSM Data service is used nearly in all GSM networks and its popularity is clearly increasing. The current service is suitable to be utilized for the transmission of facsimiles, reading of e-mails and possibly for the transmission of files of smaller size. In the future, one of the most important embodiments will likely be the remote use of Internet in a wireless communication device. For this purpose, and for example for the transmission of images, faster connections are required. The expansion of Internet on a growing number of fields also increases the number of potential users. Wireless networks have to keep up with the landline networks, and thus it has to be possible to transfer data even faster. One solution for this need is the GPRS technology (General Packet Radio Service), by means of which it is possible reach a connection of even 184 bit/s in solutions of prior art.
One aim of the GPRS is to provide the users of the GSM system with high quality packet network services by utilizing the already existing GSM infrastructure and protocols as much as possible. The GPRS packet service efficiently utilizes the capacity of the radio link and it can quite well be applied in the transfer of burst data. GPRS is a general packet service based on the development of the GSM system, which enables the act of applying different packet protocols in one network. In practice, the most important protocol is IP (Internet protocol), but the standards also support X.25.
One GPRS subscriber can have several different PDP (Packet Data Protocol) connections. When the subscriber activates a PDP connection according to IP, an IP address is activated for the subscriber, on the basis of which it is possible to transmit packages for the subscriber, and on the basis of which the packages of the subscriber are transmitted to an external IP network. The GPRS backbone network conducts the transform between the IP address and the internal addressing of the GSM, and it is capable of controlling the mobility of the subscriber. Thus, the GPRS system looks externally like an ordinary subnetwork of the Internet network. The mobility of the terminals cannot be detected outside the GPRS system either.
The use of e-mail in communication has become considerably more common in the recent years. Typically, one person can send and receive several e-mail messages within one day. At present, e-mail is used not only for transmission of messages related to work but also for transmission of personal messages. The ease and cheapness of sending e-mail messages have for their part also increased the use of e-mail in communication. Furthermore, e-mail is at present used for the transmission of such messages which are of low importance and whose transmission with other kinds of transmission methods is thus not reasonable at all.
Because the use of e-mail is so common, at present several people have a number of various e-mail addresses and remote mailboxes (electronic mailbox, e-mail box) related thereto. The concept of an remote mailbox refers to a property, such as a memory provided in an e-mail server, by means of which the owner of the remote mailbox can receive e-mail messages. For this remote mailbox an unique address is determined, which is typically of the format name@domain.com, wherein the e-mails can be directed from the receiving e-mail server to the correct remote mailbox by means of this address. The e-mail server is a computer (server) which communicates with the data transmission network. The e-mail server can, for example, be a server connected to the local area network of a company, or a server of an operator providing for e-mail services, which is known as such.
Generally, such a person has at least one e-mail address provided by the employer, which e-mail address is primarily used for taking care of matters related to work. For personal purposes, such a person usually has an e-mail address provided by a service provider e.g. by an Internet operator. In addition to these addresses, e-mail addresses provided by different schools and other organizations may also be available.
Persons, who have several remote mailboxes in their use, often want to actively use several of the remote mailboxes available. The reason for this may be, for example, that one wishes to keep matters related to work and personal matters apart, or some remote mailboxes are only intended for a particular field of the work, e.g. for customer feedback. Thus, the problem is how the person in question receives information on the messages that have arrived in the different remote mailboxes. Another problem is how the person in question can easily send messages from different remote mailboxes.
At present, it is known that from the remote mailboxes it is possible to forward all messages or messages fulfilling a certain condition to another e-mail address. Thus, it is possible to collect the e-mail messages from all remote mailboxes in use for example to only one remote mailbox. In that case, it is, however, quite difficult to determine in which remote mailbox the message has already arrived. Another problem in this case is that e-mail messages that have arrived can be answered easily only from the remote mailbox to which the message has finally been transmitted. There are also programs which check the desired remote mailboxes at intervals, and send a notification if at least one message has arrived in any of the remote mailboxes. However, these programs merely function as signalling devices, and thus they cannot be used for handling e-mail messages.
Many e-mail programs are capable of simultaneously handling only one remote mailbox. Thus, the remote mailbox has to be changed from the settings of the program, and thus the change cannot be conducted very rapidly and/or very easily. Furthermore, one has to remember a number of various settings, which are usually different for every remote mailbox. There are also e-mail programs, which are capable of handling several remote mailboxes. In these programs, the mailbox to be used is typically selected when the program is activated, i.e. several remote mailboxes cannot be used simultaneously. When the application is running, it is only possible to move from one remote mailbox to another by reactivating the program and by selecting another remote mailbox.
The patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,486 discloses one such e-mail program (accessor) in which the aim is to gain access to more than one remote mailbox by means of the same e-mail program. This is implemented in such a manner that settings necessary for using several remote mailboxes, such as the address of the remote mailbox, access settings of the messages, etc., are determined in the e-mail program. The user can also determine how often the e-mail program checks whether new messages have arrived in the remote mailbox (polling). Even though it has been presented in this publication that it is possible to use several remote mailboxes with one e-mail program, they are not, in fact, used simultaneously. In practice, the e-mail program may communicate with only one of the selected remote mailboxes at a time. When the examination is switched to another remote mailbox, the e-mail program has to make the terminal first to disconnect the existing connection, and thereafter the setting up of a new connection has to be started. The connection is advantageously set up by means of a modem, or if the terminal is a working station connected to a local area network, the connection can be established also via a server of the local area network.
There are known devices, such as notebook computers, small handheld computers or PDA devices (Personal Digital Assistant) available for storing different kind of information. In these devices it is possible to store for example calendar information, notes, address information, phone numbers or corresponding information given by the user. Data is typically entered in these devices by means of a keyboard. Data can also be entered by using a computer connected to the device. In some devices it is also possible to store text information also by writing it directly on a touch screen for example with a pen-like object. The capacity of these devices is constantly increasing, and they already contain various properties known from PC devices (Personal Computer). For some devices there are expansion cards according to the PCMCIA standard (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) available for the purpose of connecting these devices e.g. to mobile phones. Thus, for example by means of PDA devices it is for example possible to utilize radio waves for wireless transmission and reception of telefax messages, short massages (SMS, Short Message service) and other text files. In this description, the concept of a PDA device refers to devices according to the description above.
As is well known, there are also devices available in which the functions of the wireless communication device and a PDA device are combined together, wherein it is not necessary to use separate auxiliary devices, such as PCMCIA cards. One such known device is the Nokia Communicator 9110, by means of which it is possible to communicate with the Internet network, conduct mobile phone functions, such as the reception of a call and selection of a phone number, and to receive for example telefax messages. The properties of wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones are constantly increasing, and they typically comprise functions e.g. for presenting images on the display of the wireless communication device. In this description, the concept of a wireless communication device refers to such a wireless communication device, which can contain functions of the above-described PDA device or a corresponding device.
One purpose of the invention is to attain a method and apparatus by means of which it is possible to use several remote mailboxes simultaneously in such a manner that different remote mailboxes are not, however, mixed with each other.
It is possible to attain this purpose in such a manner that each e-mail server, which one wishes to use simultaneously, is advantageously provided with a PDP connection with its own. Thus, it is possible to provide the user interface of the e-mail program with a possibility to control several different remote mailboxes simultaneously. In the e-mail program, the different remote mailboxes are distinguished from each other by means of unique identifications, such as icons and/or names of the remote mailboxes, wherein the user can determine the remote mailbox to which each function and notification relates.